International Roma Day

Each year we celebrate International Roma Day

Connecting Cultures: Social event in Pavee Point 2016

Pavee Point celebrated International Roma and Traveller Day in collaboration with Musicantia with an afternoon of music and performances. Up to 100 members of Roma and Traveller communities attended this event which was marked with reflections on the day from Emily Logan, Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission; Martin Collins, Pavee Point; Stasia Crickley, Pavee Point;Victor Smith, Musicantia; Gabi Muntean, Pavee Point and Tica Muntean, Pavee Point

It was a good chance for Travellers and Roma to meet and chat and enjoy the day.

Roma activists in the Dáil – Thursday 7th April

Fifteen Roma activists visited Leinster House on 7th April to do a tour of the Dáil and meet with some of our newly elected representatives. Roma involvement in policy-making and the political system needs to be prioritised. We are hopeful that these Roma activists may be our representatives of the future!

Highlighting coercive sterilisation

Romani women have experienced widespread coercive sterilisations in Europe, legitimised by eugenic discourses of the need to control the “unhealthy” birth rate of Roma. Read more.

What is International Traveller and Roma Day?

International Traveller and Roma Day is celebrated on April 8th. This marks the day of the first World Roma Congress in 1971. The green and blue flag was adopted as the official flag for Romani people and Roma was identified as the preferred term to describe members of Roma communities across Europe (Roma, Sinti, Kale, Travellers, Dom, Lom and related groups). It also marks the day on which the song “Gelem Gelem” was officially recognised as the national anthem of Romani people. This day was officially designated as International Roma Day at the fourth congress of the International Romani Union in 1990.